Dateline: 4 July 2023

Celebrating US Independence Day with a bit of ‘americana,’ namely American Sand Wasps (Bembix americana spinolae). These recent shots at Presque Isle State Park @ ‘Pine Tree Meadows.’

Plant note: several species of Milkweed in the eastern US look similar. This location (‘Pine Tree Meadows’) is sandy/dry/open = suggests Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) as opposed to, e.g., Sulivant’s Milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii) or Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), which prefer wetter conditions.

Part II of the recent BirdingPI.com ‘road trip’ visit to Hog Island WMA, Surry, VA.

Awful/blurry shot, but great to see/hear a Northern Bobwhite – a BirdingPI.com ‘first time anywhere’ sighting:

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The Bald Eagle does not like being spied on:

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Excellent to see both male and female Blue Grosbeak:

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Considering the location, this is likely Carolina Chickadee:

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Coming up soon, Part III/final of Hog Island!

Been receiving complaints about the recent paucity of gull coverage. So, here’s a combination of recent and spring shots of Ring-billed Gull @ Presque Isle State Park:

Dateline: 24 June 2023

Shots from a quick visit to Chickahominy WMA, Charles City County, VA. Fascinating area of mostly woodland (pine/oak) with access to the Chickahominy River/tributaries, e.g., view of Morris Creek from the boat ramp:

Probably Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) dragonfly:

A highlight of the BirdingPI.com ‘quest for pelicans’ road trip = multiple sightings of lovely Carolina Wren:

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Closing it out with a great sighting of beautiful female Summer Tanager:

Hard to talk about Hog Island WMA, Surry, VA without mentioning the nuclear power plant: have to check in at the security gate with the ‘guys with machine guns’ to get to the outer/main WMA tract. (Advantage: Presque Isle State Park for ease of access.) Also need a VA hunting/fishing license or day access permit ($4 per person per day). But, 110% worth the effort.

The amazing American White Pelicans were covered in an earlier post. Almost as amazing, the large number of Great Egret. Here, a mashup of that (+ GBH) x Barn Swallow:

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Tons of Bald Eagle activity, both adult and juvenile:

Here’s a GBH getting ‘tripped up’ by a power line:

But it seemed fine/uninjured:

Also lots of Osprey activity, e.g.:

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Coming up soon, more at Hog Island, including more Bald Eagle, blue birds that aren’t jays or bluebirds, and a BirdingPI.com ‘first time ever’ sighting!

Lots of talk in Erie County about the wildfire smoke from Canada. (Good job on that forestry mgmt., Canada.) With the humid conditions, really it’s more like a light fog. A brown, smelly, eye-stinging fog. Anyway, the shot above was taken Friday lunchtime at “Vista 2 Parking Lot” at Presque Isle, looking towards downtown Erie and N/S Piers. And yes, both are usually easily visible from this vantage.

Smoke aside, Presque Isle State Park’s greening up nicely, with plenty of summer bird/insect activity. Trail conditions as expected (e.g., mud in the usual locations like B Trail and Long Pond west end). Looks like rain Saturday afternoon through Monday, then a great day Tuesday for the US Independence Day holiday.

Meanwhile, recent birds:

Beautiful Cedar Waxwing @ ‘Pine Tree Meadows:’

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Lovely Eastern Towhee (m) off the Pine Tree Trail:

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Wishing everyone a nice weekend! #more_bird

Back to the recent BirdingPI.com road trip, an outing to the amazing Hog Island WMA, Surry, VA, on the James River northwest of Newport News. (More on Hog Island in upcoming posts.)

Normally after spotting Brown Pelican on the US east coast, it’s “pelican hunt: mission accomplished.” So, rather/extremely surprised to see a flock (10 individuals) of American White Pelican in the lagoon east of the main road by the Hog Island WMA entrance! White Pelicans = highly unusual for this location at this time of year; completely unexpected to see these beautiful/large birds.

Recent Tufted Titmouse on a branch in the wind, Millcreek Twp, PA (“Gateway to Presque Isle”):

Dateline: 25 June 2023

NW Pennsylvania is great for birds, just there’s some birds that are neither residents nor ‘pass-throughs,’ e.g., most birds whose names include “Carolina.” So it was time to ‘hitch up the wagon’ and head SE to the Atlantic seaboard for a brief BirdingPI.com road trip. In search of… pelicans!

Part I: amazing (if long distance) Brown Pelican (breeding plumage) @ Coquina Beach observation platform, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, NC:

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Beach/dunes for context:

(Brown Pelicans also spotted – no pictures – flying by the Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge, Route 64 (Bypass), over Croatan Sound.)

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Coming up soon: the BirdingPI.com pelican hunt takes a sharp right turn towards the unexpected!

Two juvenile Bald Eagle off the Erie bluffs, 18 June 2023. For lighting/effect, these were manipulated (to various extents) in Adobe Lightroom^TM.